Shining Ebony: A Tale of the Ebony Warrior
by Kraayx
Summary: Hammerfell is at war. Redguard and Altmer armies clash as they fight for the desert land. Out of the struggle for power, a hero will rise. Wielding a blade of ebony, Siris, the Ebony Warrior, must find courage, hope, and the ability to forgive those who have done him wrong if he is able to take his place among heroes, and free his homeland.
1. I'll Always Be With You

**Shining Ebony**

_Written By: Kraayx_

* * *

****Author's Note:

The Ebony Warrior was probably one of the most memorable fights in Skyrim for me (if you don't know, he's an extra challenge given by the expansion, _Dragonborn, _to fight you when you get to level eighty). It got me wondering though... Who is this Ebony Warrior? Where did he come from? What's his story? I have decided to write a story about probably the biggest match that has ever come across the Dovahkiin. Strange how one simple quest has brought me more speculation than many of the quests I have encountered. I'll post a new chapter every week until the story is over. Now, here is the story of the Ebony Warrior.

* * *

_Chapter One: I'll Always Be With You_

* * *

Hammerfell... the beautiful desert province of Tamriel... is the home of the Redguards. They are the proud, dark-skinned warriors who are known to never back down from a fight no matter the circumstances. There is one tale about a notable man that the Redguards have begun to speak of. This man was known as... The Ebony Warrior. This is the story of his trials... The story of his legend.

* * *

The Abecean Sea... Shining, glimmering and splendid. It is a grand jewel of this desert province of Hammerfell. This is where the tale of the Ebony Warrior begins...

* * *

"Adrian, your son has arrived."

"By Akatosh," responded Adrian, "Doctor, are you sure? Can I go see him?"

"That is fine, but the baby is sleeping. Be careful not to wake him up."

The Redguard, Adrian, approached the door to the room where his newborn son lay. The room rocked slightly, as if swaying to the wind.

"This ship is no place to raise a son," Adrian mumbled to himself. Adrian touched the door, feeling the wood against the palm of his hand, and slowly pushed the door outwards, seeing the few doctors, his wife, Isra and his newborn son.

"What's his name?" Isra asked.

Adrian picked up the small child, still fast asleep in his arms.

"Siris," he said, "His name is Siris." Isra looked at her husband, then she looked at her son, Siris.

"Take care of him," she said.

With that, she laid back,

and she died.

"Doctor... Doctor! There's something wrong! What did you do? What happened?!"

"She was dying," the doctor responded, "she was dying going through childbirth and she wouldn't allow us to tell you. We have done everything we could. I'm sure the captain will give his most utter grievances for the loss of your wife... I'm sorry."

"May she find eternal rest in Sovngarde."

"Sir, I think you mean..."

"Oh... Forget that I mentioned it."

Adrian touched the palm of his hand to the forehead of his dead wife, and said,

"Goodbye, Isra."

* * *

"Siris... Siris... Wake up, silly."

"Uh... Aisha, it's too early. It can't be more than five in the morning," responded Siris.

"Well, you know that the kids don't work on Tirdas. We need as much time as we can to explore the ship."

"Sure, just give me five minutes."

With that, Siris fell back asleep.

"Uggh! get up silly," Aisha said as she pulled the covers off of Siris and pushed him off of his bed. Siris fell to the wooden floor with a _thud_.

"Fine, I'll come," said Siris.

Siris dressed and the two snuck as quietly as they could past Siris' sleeping father, which wasn't really necessary since Adrian was such a heavy sleeper, and they went out to the main deck.

Once they were outside, the two ran around the main deck. They played a game of tag and a simple game of hide and seek. Siris pretended to be a slaughterfish and chased Aisha around. Afterwards, they went up to the steering wheel to observe it.

"Hey! What are you two doing!" yelled the Hawk.

The children never remembered this man's name, since he always stayed up in the crow's nest, so they came up with the name, Hawk, and the name simply stuck with the rest of the crew. He was a nice fellow, and the two sometimes kept him company when he wasn't in the crow's nest.

"We weren't going to touch it," said Aisha, "We were just looking at it. Do you know how it works?"

"Frankly, I don't know that myself. I _should_ be reporting you two to the captain. But, since you're so adorable, I think I'll let it pass this time. Just don't let me catch you two ten-year-olds near the wheel again. If the ship were to change course, I think I would be banished to Oblivion, or worse... I would have to deal with the captain."

The three laughed.

"Don't worry, Hawk," Siris said, "we won't go near it again."

"Actually, my name's... You know what, that's not really important. Have fun, kids."

Hawk then scampered up the net to the crow's nest in fear that someone would catch him off his post. Aisha walked over to the front of the ship. She looked at Siris and said,

"You know, I don't really get to see the sun rising too much. I'm glad I'll be able to see it with..." She didn't finish her sentence because she slipped.

"Ahhh!" She yelled as she fell.

Luckily, Siris grabbed her before she fell down far. He pulled, and pulled and pulled, but his arms didn't seem to be strong enough to pull her up.

"Pull me up!" she yelled. Siris slowly pulled her up and she grabbed the ledge.

Aisha climbed on top of the ship and lay down, panting.

"Thank you, Siris. Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we not talk about this to your father, or my parents?"

"Sure."

The two then watched as the sun appeared to rise over the sea.

"Land Ho!" Hawk yelled, "Stros M'kai lies over the horizon."

Adrian then appeared from the decks and walked up to Siris, and said to him. "Siris, we're leaving the ship today."

* * *

A few hours later, the ship docked in the island of Stros M'kai. Adrian and Siris gathered their belongings and prepared to leave the ship.

"Do you really have to go?" Aisha asked Siris.

"I guess," Siris answered, "My father says that he has enough gold to get us a boat ride to Hammerfell, and carriage to some place called Dragonstar. He said we're living in a house outside the city."

"Well, I'm sorry you have to go. I guess Hawk can keep me company. Here, I want you to have this."

Aisha handed Siris a necklace. There was a shell attached to it. The shell was white with several rigid, black stripes.

"Where did this come from?"

"I found it. I found it under one of the barrels the other sailors moved a few days ago. If you wear it, I'll always be with you."

"Thanks Aisha... I'll never, ever forget you," responded Siris."

"I won't forget you either," Aisha said back.

* * *

Adrian and his son moved into a small house on the outskirts of Dragonstar. Every week, Adrian gave money to Siris to spend in the markets of Dragonstar for food and any other supplies needed. When he came back from the markets, he told his father about all of the most recent news. Whenever there was a sandstorm, a raise in the prices in the markets, tales of Wereboars, or even news of the Great War beginning, Siris would always inform his father. Every day, Adrian taught Siris the way of the sword and the bow. He taught him how to protect himself in heavy armor, and how to cast a potent paralysis spell. Adrian had protected the ship from several pirate attacks and he always trained himself as well.

Seven years after Siris and his father left the ship, he returned from the markets with news of the Empire surrendering to the Aldmeri Dominion, and the signing of the White-Gold Concordat. Adrian smashed a bottle of mead, yelling,

"How could they do this! How could our emperor do this to us! We have to continue the fight, not bow down to the elves!"

"Actually, Hammerfell is seceding from the Empire," Siris replied, "we're still at war with them."

"Well it seems not everything is lost."

"Do you think I can join the army?"

"No son, it's too dangerous. I know, I want to fight too, but we've got to stay out of it for now. Ive got to watch you as well. It would be what your mother wanted. Right now, we'll let events play out."

Two years passed, and the Redguard father and son continued to live in the house. One day in the markets, Siris heard a yell. Somebody was calling for someone by their name. Siris followed the yell, for he recognized the name being called. It was his own. The yell came from an older, lightly-skinned Imperial. He certainly wasn't Redguard.

"I'm Siris," Siris replied.

"Wait, let me see you," the Imperial responded, "yes, you have your mother's eyes."

"Wait, how do you know what my mother looks like."

"I don't have time to explain. I just know that you and your father are in danger. Take this key,"

"Wait."

"And this sword."

"What?"

"Now run, run back to your house before it's too late!"

Siris ran and pushed his way through the crowd without looking back at the Imperial. He ran as fast as he could back to his home. When he arrived, he saw what had happened.

The house was aflame. Almost everything was gone. Siris readied his sword, but didn't find any living people. He knew immediately who did it though. Five elven bodies lay lifeless on the ground.

"Thalmor," Siris said to himself.

He then looked over to his side, and to his horror...

saw his father, Adrian, stuck on a pike, and burned.

Siris knelt to the ground and wept. He didn't know what happened, because he woke up hours later on the ground. He got up and looked through the smoldering house. The key he was given had to do something. He looked throughout the house until he found it. An iron trap door took the place of where his father's tiny armory once stood. Siris used the key and entered a large cavern.

There were weapons and shields around, and even statues wearing strange armor sets. He found a large table and a note on top of it. Siris picked it up, and it read,

_Siris... This is your father, Adrian. I know that you've grown up to be a skilled swordsmen, no matter what age you're reading this letter at. If you are reading this letter, however, that means that I'm most likely dead. Maybe you already know, maybe you don't. _

_Son, I must tell you that I was once part of a secret organization. We were once known as... The Blades..._

_We were entrusted with the lives of the Septim emperors. We were to keep them safe from harm. As you know, the time of the Septims have passed. Our purpose is now currently meaningless. However, since the war started, the Thalmor have been hunting us. Many of my friends and colleagues have been slaughtered by those damn elves, and now I most likely am too._

_Son... Siris... I want you to fight in the war against the Aldmeri Dominion. I want you to avenge me, and I want you to free Hammerfell from the possibility of elven dominion._

_I love you, Siris._

_Your loving father,_

_Adrian_

And at the bottom of the note lay three symbols, and the words,

_These are words are written in dragon... They mean Fus... Ro... and Dah._

Then Siris, with a tear in his eye, looked up and saw a mannequin wearing a helmet, armor, boots, and gauntlets, and a bow and sword placed above it...

...all crafted in Ebony.

* * *

_To be continued._


	2. I Am Your Sword, Shield, And Voice

Chapter 2: I am your Sword, Shield, and Voice

* * *

Siris looked upon the grave that he had built... that now held the body of his dead father. He held a tear in his eye and put his hand on his heart, looking down at the ground, saying,

_"We all come, we all go. _

_We take our place in the course of time._

_Each of us, destined to be a hero in his, or her, own way._

_Each of us, one day called to leave this world,_

_And if Akatosh finds us worthy,_

_We take our place in Sovngarde..._

You told me this a long time ago, father. I was too young to remember it, but somehow, I do. I never understood why you believe in the afterlife of the Nords, but if that was your wish, I wish for your soul to find its way to Sovngarde, and be with my mother for all eternity."

"I see you were too late."

Siris recognized the voice. It was the old Imperial that warned him of the Thalmor attack. Siris grabbed his ebony sword, turned towards the Imperial and pointed the sword towards him.

"Who are you?!" Siris yelled.

"Calm down, boy,"

"Answer me!"

"Alright, Alright. Keep your voice down. Who knows how many Thalmor agents are scurrying around these parts. My name is Silian Siallo. I am a good friend of your father's... I am a Blade, just like Adrian was."

"How can I believe you? For all I know you're working with the Thalmor."

"On your neck and partially hidden in your armor lies a necklace made from a shell which is white with black stripes. Your father told me that this was given to you by a sweet little girl, named Aisha, when you were only ten years of age, right before you left to come to this home on the outskirts of Dragonstar."

Siris lowered his sword, but did not put it back in its sheath.

"Alright, how did the Thalmor find my father?"

"I am quite unsure, but I do have a theory. This home was the home of another Blade before he was relocated, which explains the cavern underneath what's left of your home. Also, there are spies all throughout Hammerfell. Any elf or even a corrupt soldier could have found this place and reported to the Thalmor."

"Okay, how did these soldiers get past Hammerfell's armies?"

"It's not as hard as it looks. If the army isn't careful, a small party could easily pass right under their noses. It can sometimes be hard, but not impossible."

"If you know so much about me and my father, what am I doing now?"

"Well, since you're wearing Adrian's ebony armor set, my guess is that you're going to join Hammerfell's forces and drive out the Thalmor... It's what your father wanted after all. Also, your father also wanted you to take his armor as well. It seems to be a rough fit, but I'm sure you'll grow into it."

Siris sheathed his sword.

"Siris, you're not the only one joining the war. I'm old, but not too old to fight. The empire has given up on us, but I see that Hammerfell has not. We shall fight and drive the elves out. This is my home now, and I will protect it with my life. Now, Siris, I shall watch you as I have watched your father before you. In the name of Tiber Septim, I shall follow you to the depths of Oblivion if it need be."

"I shall lend my sword and my strength, until I am called from this world."

* * *

Siris and Silian packed everything that wasn't burned and walked across the sands of Hammerfell. They crossed sandstorms and the Dragontail mountains. The sun shone bright and the winds were harsh. The two pressed on until they reached Skaven.

Skaven is where the Redguards and other natives of Hammerfell gathered to sign up and train for the war. The simple soldiers watched in awe as Siris walked through the crowd, fully clad in Ebony armor.

"Name?" a Redguard said from the desk.

"Silian Siallo," the Imperial said as the Redguard wrote it down.

Silian put his arm on Siris' shoulder and said to him, "Good luck."

"Name?" The Redguard said to Siris this time.

"Siris," he answered.

"By my ancestors, you're tall," the Redguard said back, "Alright, the camp is just outside Skaven. There are signs all around so it shouldn't be too hard to find. You'll recieve daily rations, an issued set of armor, and a sword or bow depending on your preference. Honestly, I don't even think you need it, seems you're all set."

Siris followed Silian through Skaven. The majority of the houses were stone. Others were made of clay. Many of them seemed to take a square design. The markets were not much like Dragonstar's, which were constantly bustling with all kinds of people. The markets here in Skaven seemed to be mostly filled with soldiers. However, Siris remembered his time back at Dragonstar, and the times he spent gathering news to take back to his father. Now he is gone. Siris shed a tear.

Outside Skaven, all the newest recruits gathered together in the middle of the camp. A mid-sized Redguard, clad in steel-plate armor stood in front of the initiates.

"Attention recruits!" he yelled, "I am your commanding officer, Sayid. You are all here because we all don't want to be ruled by the Dominion, by elves of all people... magic wielders and supremacists alike... they need to be taken out of our home! and you all will help do so! There are many soldiers out there right now and I know you want to get into the action, but it is your training that will make you better soldiers than anyone in Hammerfell. Now, as I said before, I am your commanding officer. I don't care if you're a man, or a woman, or a Redguard, Nord, Breton, Khajiit, or any other race, you report to me and no one else, unless they are higher rank than me. Am I clear?

"Yes sir." The soldiers yelled in unison.

"Alright, we'll start off with... Hey, you, over there."

"Me?" Siris responded.

"Yes you," Sayid said back, "Is your family incredibly rich or something?"

"No sir, my father's actually..."

"Then how do you have armor as expensive as ebony? That must be worth several thousand septims... You any good with a sword?"

"I've had a bit of practice."

"Somebody grab two practice swords, don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Wait, sir, are you sure?"

"What? Are you afraid to show these fine soldiers here how to fight..."

Some of the soldiers smirked.

"No sir," Siris said as he walked towards Sayid, showing his height as he towered above the height of Sayid. Two wooden swords were handed to Sayid, who handed a sword to Siris.

"Try not to make a fool of yourself," Sayid said to Siris, "Let's dance, you Ebony Warrior."

Sayid encircled Siris as Siris encircled Sayid, pointing their blades toward each other.

Sayid moved first and lunged towards Siris, who jumped back and parried the attack. Siris shoved Sayid back and swung his sword. They both swung at each other and blocked each attack made. Small wood chips flew through the air as the two continued to hit each other's swords.

Sweat coursed down Sayid's neck as he attempted to overpower Siris. He swung his sword over Siris' head, who blocked, held his sword, and pushed back quite harshly, and Sayid fell to the ground. Siris stood over Sayid and pointed his sword to his new officer's chest.

The whole unit started cheering as Sayid refused Siris' help to stand back up and stood back up by himself.

"Quiet!" He yelled, "sorry... get to training... I need a moment."

With that, Sayid departed from the unit and headed for his tent.

"I think you'll fit in nicely," Silian said to Siris.

The unit trained for three months. The soldiers learned to use the sword and the bow. They learned how to stay calm in the heat of battle and they strengthened themselves through plenty of exercise. They climbed poles and hills and swam in the lakes.

Officer Sayid watched Siris closely. No recruit had ever been able to beat him throughout all his years as an officer. After the three months of training, the unit was sent to a camp closer to the border, where the main army camps were located. There they received troubling news.

"Sayid, the elves have taken Elinhir. This gives them access to our border to Skyrim and Cyrodil."

"Yes Captain, what do you want us to do?"

"Prepare your unit, we take the city back tonight."

* * *

"Alright recruits, we are taking Elinhir tonight. Is anyone unsure of what we are doing?" Sayid asked.

A few hands raised in the air.

"Very well, I'll go over it again and see if you can get it this time. Since this is your first assignment, we're going to be standing farther behind the lines. If ladders go up the walls, you go up as well. Archers will be shooting into the city. If we get inside, be wary of civilians. These are not elves, they're captives. They are citizens of Hammerfell, and we are to protect them. Any armed elf you see is expendable. There will be no elves of high significance. Stay close to your unit, and for the love of true entire Yokudan Pantheon, listen to me. Now, let's move."

* * *

The regiment moved with several other battalions towards Elinhir, where the siege had already begun. Arrows were being sent into the city while fireballs, flashes of lightning, and ice storms flew down from the top of the walls into the Redguard army. A Khajiit foolishly ran towards the walls, alone, carrying a ladder, and was disintegrated by a thunderbolt.

The army raised their shields and slowly advanced towards the walls.

"Shields aren't going to work well against magic," Siris said.

Sayid looked back at him and said, "Well, Siris, do you have any better ideas?"

Siris looked through the unit. "Does anyone know how to use wards?!"

"I do," said a Breton woman.

"So do we," said two Redguards.

"Siris, magic is for cowards. We use sword and shield!" Sayid said.

"Well, why don't you tell that to the elves, I so am sure they'll listen to you."

Sayid immediately turned his head and said, "Alright, let's do this."

Siris continued, "Everybody with wards, get in front of the unit. Everybody with a shield, raise it above your heads. Archers, stay in the back and shoot arrows into the city. Make your shots count. You three, take ladders in hand. Now, move forward!"

The new formation began advancing towards the city at a fast pace. Lightning flashed and fire flew straight into the wards. The unit passed the rest of the army and made its way towards the walls. When they approached the walls, the three holding the ladders placed them against the wall. Three others quickly scampered up the ladders before Siris could stop them. Not long after, two frozen bodies came tumbling down, with a steady stream of ashes following.

As the rest of the army came quickly towards the ladders, Siris jumped up a ladder and started climbing. A fireball came hurtling towards him and he quickly jumped to the next one. He hurried up and took his shield to protect himself from two ice spikes that nearly penetrated him. He jumped back to the other ladder as an arrow came for his back. He quickly jumped onto the wall and rushed up the wall formations as an elf charged up and fired a thunderbolt. He kept climbing until he could go no further, jumped back onto the ladder and came upon the top of the wall.

He jumped over the lightning rune that had been placed by the ladder to trap him, he drew his sword and shield, and he started fighting the elves. The Altmer drew bound swords and came charging towards him. Siris cut them up one by one, and one by one, they fell.

It became easier for the Redguards to climb up the ladders and place new ones by the walls. The parapet was quickly flooded with Redguard soldiers and other forces from Hammerfell.

All of a sudden, a larger elf knocked Siris off his feet. He fell atop his back and looked at the elf who was about to plunge his sword through his chest. The elf was just about to finish the Redguard warrior, when all of a sudden...

...Time had suddenly stood still.

Siris looked around. Nothing was moving, whatsoever. He could not even move himself. He looked around and saw Redguards and Altmer clashing blades and shooting each other with arrows and spells. He saw Silian Siallo parrying an attack. Next, he saw Sayid, falling to an elven blade. Then next thing he noticed were strange symbols floating by his face.

_"I've seen these before,"_ Siris thought to himself.

Siris then remembered the letter from his father,

_"These words are written in Dragon, they mean Fus, Ro, and Dah. I love you, Siris."_

The symbols started to to sway, shimmer, and change form. They changed until they formed the words...

_...Force... Balance... Push._

Time moved again, and as the elf dropped his blade to destroy Siris, Siris shouted,

"FUS RO DAH!"

A sound fit only for the dragons of old erupted from his mouth, and out poured a wave of massive and peerless energy that engulfed the elf, and sent him thrown across the parapet and off the ledge.

Siris stood back up, and said,

"Thank you, father."

Siris regained his senses and rushed over to the wall that held the lever for the drawbridge. He pulled it, the drawbridge came down, and hordes of Redguard soldiers flooded into Elinhir, destroying all the Dominion that had taken hold of it. The battle had been won.

As the remaining elves were driven out of Elinhir, Siris stood over the parapet and looked upon the army. The rest of the army looked at Siris. They knew it was him who had won the battle for them.

One of the men from his unit shouted, "Let's hear it for the Ebony Warrior!"

The rest of the army started cheering and chanting,

"Ebony! Warrior! Ebony! Warrior! Ebony! Warrior!"

And the sun began to rise.

* * *

The army continued to cheer Siris, the Ebony Warrior, as he made his way through the camp that morning. In all the noise, he made out a word.

"Siris! Siris!"

He rushed through the crowd... Because he recognized who that voice belonged to...

It was Aisha.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	3. No Foe Will Run Me Through

Chapter 3: No Foe Will Run Me Through

* * *

"Aisha! Aisha!" Siris yelled as he rushed through the crowd of soldiers.

Siris then saw her. She seemed had changed over the years since he left the ship nine years ago. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining her presence.

"Aisha, is that you?"

"Yes it is me, silly," she said back.

The two embraced each other as the soldiers cheered even louder than before.

* * *

Siris discussed what had happened with Aisha about what had happened over the last nine years in his new, large tent, which was given to him due to the death of Officer Sayid.

"How did you end up here?" Siris asked.

"Two years ago, the Aldmeri Dominion began their invasion after Hammerfell refused the White-Gold Concordat, as you know. Their ships began sailing on the Abecean and it wasn't safe to sail anymore, so we had to land in Hegathe. A year ago, Hegathe was attacked by the Dominion's navy, but were fended off by the army. After that, the majority of the Redguards were ushered into the army. I felt like it was logical to sign up as well, so here I am. My unit wasn't assigned to the battle at Elinhir, but I heard your name and how you climbed up the ladder and dropped the drawbridge. Pretty heroic I'll say. So, why are you here?"

Siris stood up, and put his hand to his face to hide his tears.

"What is it?" Aisha asked.

"They... they killed him."

"Who?"

"My father... Those damn elves killed my father. That is why I'm here."

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't know."

"It's alright. I'll kill them, every last one of them. Enough of that," Siris said as he turned back to Aisha, "How's the Hawk doing."

"Oh... That scoundrel fell off the crow's nest and died four years ago. It was strange. We don't know if it was suicide, if he tripped, or if he was simply drunk."

"That's sad. I was looking forward to seeing him again. Poor guy."

"Yeah, it was pretty traumatic for everyone on board."

Silian Siallo stepped into the tent.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met," Silian said as he walked towards Aisha, I am Silian Siallo, and you are?"

"Aisha."

"Ah, Aisha. What a coincidence, you being here and all. I've heard many good things about you from Siris' father."

"He already told me what happened to him," Aisha said back.

"It was quite sad. But... it will be fine... There are some things you just can't change no matter how hard you try."

Siris picked up his blade and started brandishing it.

"His death will not go unanswered," he said.

"Siris, now is not the time to lose focus. You have done well in your first battle and have gained a reputation. But, there have been many warriors who have fallen because they couldn't keep themselves together. I've known many of them. I've known Imperials, Nords, even other Blades, who have fallen due to arrogance, selfishness, and seeking vengeance for wrongs done unto them. Not one of these types of people I've met have received a good and noble death. Always look to your father for guidance, but do not seek vengeance, for vengeance shall lead to suffering and agony."

With that, Silian Siallo walked towards the exit, but before exiting, he turned his head and said,

"By the way Siris, I've heard that shout before."

And he left Siris' quarters.

* * *

After that day, Siris was named an officer. Over the course of the next year, Siris showed his valor as the Army of Hammerfell began finding victory throughout the land. A few of the soldiers despised him because of his age and how long he had been in the military, but it was quite obvious that Siris had skill in battle and knowledge of the battlefield. A few soldiers were even bold enough to challenge him to a practice duel, and were subsequently beat to submission one by one.

Aisha stayed by Siris' side. The generals allowed her to fight in his unit. Aisha, with already a year of experience, also proved to be somewhat skilled with a sword. In fact, she would charge into battle dual-wielding scimitars. One time, as Siris' unit was fighting against a small patrol of elves, Siris was fending off two elven swordsmen. He sliced one of their necks with the edge of his shield, but the other brought his sword crashing down to split Siris' helm when Aisha threw a scimitar into the skull of the elf.

"You owe me one," she said as she pulled her scimitar from the elf's head.

Silian Siallo also proved to be a fine warrior. He was old, as he had told Siris before, but his skill in the heat of battle was quite apparent. He also watched Siris and sometimes gave advice towards Siris' decisions. But, Siris wondered why Silian watched him and advised him. Was it because it was simply a duty of his? Did he promise his father that he would watch over him? Did his father know that he was going to die and he asked Silian to watch over him? These thoughts swelled within Siris' mind as the year pressed on.

After his first year of fighting in Hammerfell's army, Siris had risen to the rank of a captain. The decision was met with some anger and frustration among the other soldiers that could have taken the role, but it seemed Siris had become more of just a strong swordsman, but an inspiration, a hero. He was the Ebony Warrior. The other captains agreed as well as the generals and so Siris was made a captain.

The day after this decision was made, however, an elf was seen over the horizon. This elf walked with four others towards the camp.

_"Only four?"_ Siris thought to himself as the rest of the soldiers grabbed their weapons and started moving towards them.

Almost instantaneously, the soldiers lowered their weapons, for they were holding a white flag of negotiation. They moved back towards their posts with a look of disappointment in their faces.

* * *

The generals, commanders, captains and other high ranking officials gathered to hear what this Elven commander and his few bodyguards had to say in a large pavilion.

"I challenge the Ebony Warrior to a duel!" The Altmer said.

"What purpose do you have for that?" one of the Redguard captains asked, "This is a negotiation, not a time to challenge one of our captains to a duel... especially our youngest captain."

"We believe that that man is a key asset to the war. If this is so, then you'll most likely protect him... Maybe with your life... Maybe not. I'm unsure of you pathetic beings' moral codes. Anyways, sending Khajiit assassins to do the job will most likely not work out well. So, why not just simply do the job myself, me against him, in a completely just way."

"I can take him," Siris answered back, "just give me a few minutes to wipe his blood on the ground."

"Siris, you don't have to do this, it's quite foolish really," said one of the commanders.

"I am choosing to fight him... I know I can do this."

"Foolishness and pride will not win you a battle, Siris, but if that's your choice, let him fight the elf."

Siris and the elven commander were both positioned in a squared arena. This time, however, Siris was given his ebony sword instead of a practice weapon.

Siris began to encircle his opponent as he had before with Sayid, but instead, the elf immediately charged at Siris with his sword. Siris swung his sword and immediately disarmed the high elf. Before he could strike again, the elf backflipped, conjured a bound sword and said,

"I'm no fan of your army's petty weapons."

He formed a magical ball of flame in his hand and hurled it towards his opponent. The Ebony Warrior threw himself to the ground to avoid the incoming explosion of fire. He quickly jumped back up as the elf attempted to finish his foe and parried the incoming attack. The two continued to swing their swords and parry each other's attacks. For an elf, he seemed to be able to wield a blade effortlessly.

The Redguards laughed and shouted at the elf for using his magic to help him win the battle as Siris evaded fiery, freezing, and electrical attacks. The elven swordsman's sword dissolved in his hand, and in its place he formed two bound daggers, and began striking at Siris like a snake. Siris parried multiple times, pushed the elf back...

and threw his sword and shield to the ground.

"What!" yelled the elf, "What foolishness is this? You do not realize that I can just run up to you and stab your neck?"

He turned towards the army,

"This is what you call hope? You give a boy a powerful position in your army and he can't hold himself together? Will your army give up the cause just like this boy has? Maybe he will pick up his sword... Maybe he will continue to fight, but I will cut him to the ground like the worm he..."

"FUS RO DAH!"

The same wave of energy that had erupted from his constrained the elf to the ground, crushing the elven bones in his body and riddling him with pain. The elf looked up, and said,

"What... What power have you conjured? What magic is this that we have not attained? By the Aldmeri gods... Could it be... the Thu'um?"

Siris grabbed the elf by the collar of his shirt and said,

"What is this Thu'um? What are you talking about?"

The elf looked at him through the visor of his ebony helmet, and laughed,

"Ha... Hah... A powerful voice is nothing compared to the power of the Aldmeri Dominion. We will crush your armies... as we have done with with the Empire and we will take... a hold of your lands. When our general... Telindil, comes for you, your voice will be powerful against him. You have no power here."

Siris stood up and walked away from the elf who lay crushed on the ground. "Siris... since that is your name... I know you... You're the son of that Blade... What was his name... Adrian... Of course. You were lucky we did not find you... Otherwise you would not have enjoyed the last moments of your life... Hehehe... But more to the point... Telindil... Our general... Killed your father..."

Siris turned his head. He walked back towards the elf who lay on the ground. He raised his foot...

And crushed the head of the elf.

The four elves who were protecting the commander rushed into the arena to kill the warrior who had disgraced their commander. Aisha rushed in between the two sides and pointed her scimitars at the elven soldiers.

"Enough," Aisha said, "enough blood has been spilled today, and if you wish to lose your lives as well, I advise you to rush right into my swords. Or... If you would rather keep your lives, go tell your general, Telindil, about what has transpired here. Make your move."

The elves looked around and saw that there was no way out. They sheathed their weapons and left, and proceeded across the sands back to whence they came. The soldiers started cheering once again for the Ebony Warrior.

Amidst the noise, Siris looked back upon Silian Siallo to see him cheer him on...

Silian merely nodded his head in disapproval... and left the crowd.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	4. No Beast Will Hinder Me

Chapter IV: No Beast will Hinder me

* * *

Once the elven commander's former bodyguards returned from the "negotiation," one of them was sent to inform the general. He entered his tent to see him sitting and writing in a large, wooden desk. His body and face were both shrouded in darkness.

"General Telindil, we've come back with news,"

Without faltering from his current task, and without turning his head, the general said,

"Where is the commander?... Was he victorious?"

"No sir, he was..."

"Figures... I didn't expect him to live... He was so insistent on fighting the Ebony Warrior that it got to him... There is no real loss, however, for we can't have fault in our commanders..."

"It seems the Warrior was able to... um... use a form of magic... with his voice... a shout more than anything."

Telindil stopped for a moment, but continued writing.

"So the Redguards have mastered the Thu'um?"

"The only Redguard we know of that can do this is this Ebony Warrior. But, there's another thing... He is the son of that Blade you killed."

"And how does that matter? I've killed more Blades than I can count."

"He's the son of Adrian."

Telindil stayed his hand. He dropped his pen, pushed his chair back, stood up, turned his elven body, and stared at the former bodyguard. He was still shrouded in darkness but his eyes shone yellow.

"He taught him the words... The words of power that Adrian escaped with... Give the other commanders my orders..."

Telindil slowly stepped into the light revealing his yellowish face, long, yellowish-brown hair, and a scar streaking from the side of his right eye down his cheek and down to his neck.

"...Prepare the Horde... we strike tonight.

* * *

"Siris, do you remember when I gave you that necklace? You know, the black and white shell." said Aisha to Siris as they sat atop a rock overlooking the camp during the night.

"Yes, oh! I actually have it here."

Siris pulled it from under his shirt. He gave it to Aisha and she examined it.

"Wow... It's as beautiful as I remember it. Sure it's still a bit rigid here and there but overall it's just spectacular. I can't believe you kept it this long."

"Well, this was my way of remembering you. I would never just throw you away."

Aisha looked at Siris, her eyes sparkled in Secunda's light.

Siris and Aisha entered Siris' tent. Inside stood Silian Siallo, looking down upon a map of Hammerfell.

"Need something?" Siris asked.

"Yes," Silian responded, "I want to know why you killed the elf."

"He challenged me. He wanted to see if he could beat me and I proved the poor sod wrong."

"No Siris, _why_ did you kill him?"

Siris turned himself, facing away from the old man, and said,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were going to let him live. I saw that you were walking away. You changed your mind, and you crushed his face. Why... why would you do that?"

"It was a fair fight, and I beat him."

"No Siris, this was more than a simple fight for you. After he told you that his general killed Adrian... your father... You had the utmost desire to kill him. It wasn't your duty to kill him, it was vengeance. I told you that vengeance only brings more suffering."

Siris turned back towards Silian,

"The elves killed my father!" he yelled, "If I could, I would kill every single one of those elves!"

"This is an example of where vengeance will take you. Not all Altmer killed your father. I've seen high elves do terrible and wicked things, but this does not mean that the Altmer as a race are terrible. I've known good high elves as well."

"Siris, I think Silian is right," said Aisha, "The only way we can make amends with the high elves is to forgive each other."

"Aisha, not now," responded Siris.

"Siris, vengeance is not the answer!"

Siris pointed his finger towards the tent's entrance, "Get out!" he yelled. Silian took a deep breath and said,

_"We all come, we all go."_

"Wait, what?" Siris asked.

_"we take our place in the course of time."_

"Who are you! How do you know that verse!"

"Like I said before, Siris, I am your father's friend... and he wanted me to watch over you when he died."

With that, Silian walked out of the tent.

"He's just trying to help you," Aisha said.

"No, there's more to this. He knows too much. He told me that I have my mother's eyes, but he didn't know my mother."

"Maybe he did, maybe he knew them before your father and mother boarded the ship."

"But he has to have been on the ship to have known that verse. My father only told it to me once or twice, I'm not sure."

"Maybe he told it to him sometime while you two were living by Dragonstar. You never know."

"I just need some time to think... I'll see you later."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Aisha left Siris' quarters as well. Siris looked at the map that Silian had been observing earlier. Nothing of interest lay upon it. He walked around for a moment thinking about the day.

_"Was it wrong to kill the elf? He would have done the same to me. Of course it wasn't wrong. Those elves killed my father."_

Siris picked his ebony sword up off his weapon rack and began brandishing it. He saw something in the sword, a speck. He began rubbing at it, trying to get it off. A flaw in the crafting, maybe. Siris rubbed at it even harder. But, the smudge slightly moved. Siris looked closer, and realized what it was.

Siris immediately ducked as a claw of a monster came straight for his head. He then sidestepped as another claw came for his torso. It then roared, it's tusks shaking as its large claws spread to each side. Siris stepped back. The creature began to charge and Siris ran toward it, slid on the grass in his tent, and sliced its leg just above its hoof. The creature fell and began squealing as it crawled on the ground. Siris took his sword and plunged it into the head of the creature, and it lay dead.

It was a wereboar. It was a human who has transformed into a massive creature that killed to survive. Its tusks and claws were still as it lay dead.

_"I thought these were only found in High Rock," _

Siris thought to himself. But then he heard the commotion, and Siris rushed to equip his ebony armor as quickly as he could, and he ran outside. He saw what was happening.

The main camp was overrun by lycanthropes of many different kinds. The Redguards and other soldiers of the army were desperately fighting off the creatures.

Siris watched as a werewolf jumped atop one of the soldiers and proceeded to tear his insides out. A werebear jumped and crashed into one of the tents, and seconds later, blood splattered across the tarp. A werevulture carried off the Breton Mage that Siris had met at Elinhir, and carried her away from the fight.

A werewolf rushed toward Siris, who blocked its claw attack, but the creature jumped on him, and positioned its mouth to eat Siris' face as drool and slime poured from its lips. Siris pulled his sword from under the beast and stabbed its belly. The werewolf fell dead and rolled off its victim.

Siris then ran in one direction with only one thought in his mind,

_"Aisha."_

Siris jumped over a werelion and as it turned its mane to fight its foe, he sliced the monster in the neck and continued to run. As Siris approached Aisha's tent, blood splattered across it.

"No!" Siris yelled as he ran up to the tent, cut the tarp open, and proceeded inside.

To his surprise, Aisha was in the middle of battle with a werecrocodile. She had just cut its arm off. Siris climbed on the back of the beast and stabbed its neck, ending its life.

"I think we're even now," Aisha said.

The two ran outside to face the lycanthropes. Another wereboar charged at Aisha, who picked up sand and threw it into its face, dodged, and allowed it to run blindly until it crashed into a tent. She then dismembered a werewolf and cut its chest.

Siris cut the wing off of a werevulture as it attempted to grab his arm, and crushed it with his foot. He then took his bow and shot another werevulture as it was about to rush its beak into another soldier. He then yelled, "Fus Ro Dah!" at an incoming werebear.

Three werelions came from around the tents and cornered Siris and Aisha. Aisha pointed her two scimitars at the beasts while Siris formed a paralysis spell in his hand. He shot it at one of the creatures, paralyzing it immediately and sidestepped out of the way of the other creature's attack and stabbed its back. The other werelion pounced on Aisha, and as she was knocked over, she pushed the monster off of her and sliced the head of the cat.

Siris walked up to the paralyzed werelion and easily killed it before it could free itself, but all of a sudden, another werelion jumped for Siris' face...

...and Silian Siallo cut its head off.

"I don't mind you killing these things," Silian said.

The three then grouped together, back to back, and cut up a werecrocodile, three werewolves, three wereboars, two werebears, and four werevultures.

The army quickly gathered their numbers and arms and drove the beasts back. The number of lycanthropes quickly diminished. The last werelion in the horde jumped on an unsuspecting victim and quickly killed him. As it prepared to savor its meal, Siris plunged his sword into the beast's neck and ended its life. The soldiers began cheering...

and the sun began to rise.

* * *

That evening, after everything was cleared and the camp inspected, the generals, commanders and captains gathered in the pavilion to discuss what had happened during the night.

"What was that?! One of the generals exclaimed.

"A small army of lycanthropes," Siris said back, "We got them though."

"I know what lycanthropes are," the general replied, "What I want to know is how did they get sophisticated enough to gather up into an army and attack the camp?"

"Can werecrocodiles even survive in Hammerfell?" one of the captains asked.

"The Aldmeri Dominion must've been gathering lycanthropes. But how did they get so many?" inquired one of the commanders.

"They probably kept them all as prisoner and released them on us." said another commander.

"There must be more to it though," said Siris, "why would they release them all now? Wouldn't it be smarter to use them in a primary battle?"

"It could be just a terror attack. Probably to strike fear into the hearts of our soldiers.

"Anyways, we have many dead and many wounded soldiers," said another general, "We need to bring in supplies, healing potions, cure disease potions, everything we need to make sure lycanthropy doesn't spread throughout the army."

* * *

When the meeting was over, Siris climbed back to the rock that overlooked the camp where he and Aisha had met together the night before. Aisha was there as he predicted. She was just sitting over the edge of the rock, staring at the camp, and yonder at the sands of the desert. Siris sat down next to her.

"Siris... do you want to know the real reason I'm here?" she asked.

Siris, confused, asked,

"What do you mean? I thought you joined up after the elves attacked Hegathe?"

"No Siris, it's more complicated than that."

"What do you mean?"

"While I was living with my parents in Hegathe, I was courted by this dashing Redguard. Well, he was dashing to everybody else... but to me he was a terrible, rude, self-centered pile of dirt. Well, of all the Redguards in Hegathe, he decided that he was the right one for me. When I became eighteen years of age, he presented my parents with a dowry larger than they could have imagined. You should've seen the look on their faces. Anyways, they ordered me to marry him. The only problem with this though, is that I didn't love him back. In all honesty, I actually thought you would come and rescue me from that bastard, but what were the chances of that happening, hmmm? However, my parents disregarded my request and continued to order me to marry him. I lost my parents the day I left to join the army. I probably won't see them again as well... who knows what else these elves will throw at us. They weren't really my parents anymore anyways. All they love now is money and riches. Well... I'm glad you're here, Siris."

"I'll always be here for you, Aisha. Not even the fires of Oblivion can tear me away from you," said Siris.

Aisha leaned her head against Siris' shoulder, and they both watched as the sun set.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	5. If I Were To Die

Chapter V: If I Were To Die

* * *

Three months passed since the day when the lycanthropes attacked. Siris continued to show his valor through his military skills. Some ridiculed him for using the Voice, saying that it is still a form of magic, but others praised him for being able to use such an ability. Most of the elven forts and encampments could not hold out against the armies, or the Thu'um that Siris wielded.

Throughout this period, there was only one elf who Siris wanted to find. This elf was General Telindil. He wanted answers. But more importantly, he wanted vengeance. Silian knew that this is what was in Siris' heart, however, he made no mention of it to Siris. One day, Siris and his hunt was assigned to find a band of elven troops.

* * *

Siris, Silian, Aisha, and the rest of Siris' unit approached the last known location of the elves. It was a small oasis. The trees were tall and the leaves were bright green. The water was sky-blue and looked clear and refreshing.

"Check it for poison," Siris said before the soldiers could gorge themselves with fresh, clear water.

A Dunmer drank a resist poison potion and took a few sips of the water.

"Well, I don't taste anything besides water," he said, "I highly doubt there's Jarrin root or any of those other poisons in this."

Another soldier tasted it. After a few moments he said, "I'm sure it's clear."

The rest of the unit quickly jumped towards the water and started drinking to their heart's content.

Siris and Aisha both took a look around. Siris heard a rustle coming from a bush. Was it a bird? a rabbit maybe? He walked over to the bush and looked into it. He saw a pair of yellow eyes staring towards him. Siris jumped back as the elf jumped out of the bush and attempted to stab him. Siris drew his sword, blocked the incoming attack with his shield, and thrust his blade into the heart of the elf.

"To arms!" Siris yelled.

The rest of the soldiers quickly grabbed their swords, maces, shields, axes, and bows and grouped together as Altmer soldiers jumped from the bushes and began spewing fiery and freezing magic upon them. Aisha took both her scimitars, sliced one's knee and stabbed his throat. She then crossed her blades together as another tried to swing his magical sword toward her face, pushed him over causing him to lose his balance and she killed him.

The elves quickly gave up the fight and started running. They ran out of the oasis and Siris and his unit pursued them into the desert as night began to fall. After a few hours of chasing into the night, the Redguards and the other soldiers looked over to the distance.

A temple stood over the horizon, and the elves were running to it.

"What do you think is in there?" one of the Redguards asked nervously.

"I'm not going into some temple," said another.

"Who knows what could be in there," said the Dunmer.

"I think we should root them out," said Siris, "Let's try to capture them alive. They could have some information."

The soldiers started moving towards the temple. The temple had many intricate designs and many different symbols on it that nobody could read. They entered the temple.

* * *

The inside was flooded with designs, patterns, and all kinds of strange symbols. The soldiers walked slowly and quietly, so as to not awaken this quiet place. There seemed to be no sign of the Dominion, but to be safe, everybody kept their eyes and ears open.

"What do you think this is?" Aisha quietly asked.

"I'm not sure," Siris replied, "I've never seen anything like it. What about you, Silian?"

"I've been almost everywhere in Tamriel... and yet... I have never seen anything as diverse as this."

The group came upon a passageway that lead to two directions.

"Captain, which way?" somebody asked.

Siris said, "Alright, I want a third of us to head back to the entrance to prevent anybody but us from leaving. Everybody else, follow me."

Siris turned towards the left passageway and everybody else followed him. The symbols became stranger and stranger as they walked through the passageway. The group of soldiers came upon a large, square-shaped room. Several bodies lay dead on the ground.

"Check them." Siris said. To their surprise, the bodies seemed to be that of Thalmor soldiers. However, the design of their armor was different from that of the soldiers they were chasing.

"There must be more of them in here," said Aisha.

"Yes, that's obvious... why else would they know to come here," said Silian, "What I think we should try to figure out is how these ones were killed."

The Dunmer trembled, "do you think this is one of those draugr crypts, like the ones they talk about in Skyrim?"

"This is no draugr crypt," one of the more observant Redguards said, "look at that picture, what do you all think it is?"

Everybody looked upon the picture in question.

"It appears to be a staff." Siris answered, "What of it?"

"That's no ordinary staff," the Redguard said back, "That's the Staff of Worms."

At the moment he said that, a loud moaning sound was heard throughout the room. All the soldiers looked back, and to their horror, The once dead elves began rising from the dead.

Without thinking, Siris yelled, "Grab your weapons! Kill them!"

The soldiers grabbed their weapons and started to hack at the undead. Silian cut off one of their arms and out poured a slow stream of worms. The elf was unhindered, however, and continued attacking until he cut off its head.

Before long, the elves were brought back to the dead.

"What was that!" Siris yelled towards the Redguard who spoke of the staff, "What does this staff do?"

"I've studied this for as long as I can remember," the Redguard spoke back, "It belonged to a necromancer named... Mannimarco. He was a very powerful necromancer as well. His name has come up several times in history, but I'm going to focus on the current situation. A little under two hundred years ago, during the time of the Oblivion Crisis, Mannimarco, the King of Worms appeared in Cyrodil and began attacking the Mages Guild. Hannibal Traven, the Archmage of Cyrodil's Mages guild, gave his own soul to the Hero of Kvatch, yes, the one who closed the Oblivion Gates, to defeat him. The Hero of Kvatch was able to defeat him, but he retrieved something from him. It was this staff."

He pointed at the picture. "The Staff of Worms."

"What's so special about it?" Aisha asked.

"This staff seemed to be useless to the hero, and it was quickly lost to time after the hero left the world. Nobody's quite sure where he went. The staff was able to raise people from the dead. It doesn't seem all too powerful, especially since our magic now can do this very easily. However, it was rumored that the staff may have more influence elsewhere. My guess is that the staff has more influence here, and that only means one thing..."

"The elves have the staff," said Siris. "Precisely!" said the Redguard. This almost definitely means that there are more Thalmor here and that somebody here holds the staff."

"Only one elf we know would be carrying the staff," Aisha said to Siris.

"Of course," Siris said back, "Telindil is here."

After saying that, loud cries, shrieks, shrills, and moans were heard in several directions.

"Quickly!" Siris shouted, "this way!"

He began running through a large passageway that led out of the room and everybody followed him. Creatures came running towards them from both behind and in front of them. Many of them seemed to have decayed over time. The eyes of these zombies seemed to glow bright purple. Other than that, their appearance seemed quite ghastly.

There were all types of undead ranging from any of the sentient races to creatures such as trolls and wolves. There were some creatures that were completely unrecognizable. Parts of flesh and limbs of different creatures and races came together to make all new creatures. Siris continued running towards these creatures as the soldiers prepared to drive their weapons into these beasts. When they were close enough, Siris yelled,

"FUS RO DAH!"

and the creatures that were in front of the unit were knocked down to the ground. Siris and the rest of the soldiers ran past them, destroyed the creatures that were still standing, and cut down the ones that were getting back up while the soldiers in the back defended the unit from the ones charging towards the rear. When the zombies had been decimated, Siris looked back. There were a few casualties and several injured.

Aisha approached Siris and said, "Siris, I think heading back is probably the best idea."

"No," Siris said, "We've got to keep moving through the temple."

"As much as I hate to say this," Silian said, "but I think Siris is right. If Telindil has this Staff of Worms and it has power in this very location, there must be a reason for them to have it."

"Whatever the reason they have for holding it is, we need to keep moving," said Siris.

Siris, Aisha, Silian, and the rest of the unit continued through the many different passageways throughout the temple. A wave of the decayed and deformed zombies continued to attack in ambushes. The timing of their attacks were unpredictable. Everyone held their weapons up to prevent themselves from being taken by surprise. Almost every ambush brought at least one or two casualties upon the group.

At one point, Siris' group came upon groups of elves fighting off the zombies. Siris' soldiers joined in and created a three-way battle. Once both the elves and the zombies were killed, Aisha said,

"Well, at least these creatures aren't allied with the elves."

"Then why do the elves have the staff if they can't control them?" asked the Dunmer from before.

"Probably they aren't here to control them," reponded the scholastic Redguard, "but... why else would they be here?"

"I don't know," Siris said back, "but we need to keep moving. Keep your weapons up and watch your backs." They kept moving and fighting through the temple until they approached a large door guarded by two elves. Two arrows flew into the heads of these guards, ultimately ending their lives.

"This must be it." Siris said. The door was opened and the soldiers rushed in with Siris leading them. When they entered, they froze. This room was large, circular, had the most intricate symbols and designs out of all the other rooms, and it was colored red and black. The Thalmor stood all around the room. In the middle of this circular room stood a high elf with a large scar down his face. He was holding the Staff of Worms.

"Ah, it seems the pathetic Redguards have sent their own force," he said as he paced around the room, "But, before I completely obliterate you all, allow me to introduce myself. I am Telindil, supreme general of the Aldmeri Dominion here in Hammerfell, and master of the arcane arts... and you are?"

"Siris," Siris answered angrily.

Telindil stared at him for a moment, then he continued, "Ah yes, you're the _Ebony Warrior_, the champion at Elinhir, the _hope_ of the Redguards. I've been waiting to meet you. Who knew that you would meet me right before you all meet your doom."

"What are you talking about?" Siris asked.

"This staff is to be your undoing," he said in reply.

"Give it up. You can't even control the creatures."

"The creatures? Who said anything about controlling the creatures? Of course, I will be controlling all kinds of undead once this is over, but the purpose of this staff isn't to control them."

"Then what is it?"

"This staff will allow me to absorb the power of Mannimarco, himself. That is what he made the staff for. This is where his power currently lingers. I will absorb his power, and with it, I shall squash every Redguard and later, any empire! There is nothing you can do to stop it."

"You're wrong. You killed my father, and you will die before you can become 'Lord of the Dead' or whatever it is you plan on calling himself."

"Don't even try, boy. You are hopelessly outnumbered."

"I beg to differ," said Siris.

"I beg to differ as well," responded Telindil. As he said that, he pointed the Staff of Worms into the air.

Almost immediately, the wall of this circular room began cracking in multiple areas. Hordes of the undead creatures began pouring out as the wall began collapsing in the cracked areas. The creatures began killing both the elves and Siris' unit, but they refrained from going near Telindil and the staff.

Siris, Aisha, and Silian began slaughtering both undead and elf alike. Limbs were cut from the reanimated creatures and one by one they fell. As the numbers of undead diminished, more poured out, and all of a sudden, a large beast crashed through the wall.

This beast was no taller than a giant, but this was no giant. This creature was composed of several types of flesh from different creatures. It had strong and powerful legs and forearms, claws on one arm and a large spike on its other arm. Its head was large, and somewhat similar to that of a werewolf, however, it only had one eye. It took a step and crushed an elf woman under its foot. It then impaled a Redguard with its arm and proceeded to eat it.

Soldiers from both sides came together and tried to take it down, but were slowly killed one by one. The rest of the soldiers ran away from it while defending themselves from the other undead.

The giant creature came upon Aisha and she jumped out of the way as it attempted to grab her with its claws. She tried hitting her swords against the creature's forearms, but to no avail. The undead beast then backhanded her and she hit the wall. She turned to face the inevitable fate of a soldier... But Siris jumped in the way of the beast, and it yelled the most painstakingly disturbing yell anyone there had ever heard. The creature then attempted to impale Siris. However, he dodged and jumped on the arm. The giant beast swung its arm, trying to throw Siris off, but he held on. He took his sword and blocked the incoming claw attack. The creature then threw him up into the air, and he came back down on its head. Siris quickly drew his bow, pulled an placed an arrow, aimed it at the beast's eye, but then he noticed something...

... Telindil was levitating, and strange mists were swirling around him.

Without thinking, Siris pointed the bow at Telindil, and fired it. Instead of hitting Telindil, however, the arrow hit the Staff of Worms. The force of the arrow broke the staff in two and Telindil came crashing down. The beast fell dead, for the staff was broken. All of the other undead creatures followed suit and the room was left with Siris and several of his troops with Telindil with fewer troops.

Telindil, seeing the disadvantage he was at, and realizing his plan just failed, smirked and said,

"It seems you've won this one, boy. I could easily kill you right here, right now, despite these circumstances, but what purpose would I have in doing so? You've already destroyed what I came here for. No, when I kill you, I want you to be crawling on your belly, demanding for mercy. Will you receive this mercy? No, you will not receive such mercy, and your father won't be able to hear you scream..."

Siris yelled and charged at Telindil, who threw an invisibility spell on himself and quickly left the room as the other elven soldiers attacked them. Once they had been taken care of, Telindil was nowhere to be found. Siris and Silian approached the staff. It disintegrated before their eyes.

"So, does that mean the staff is gone?" asked Siris.

"No," responded Silian, "An artifact such as that cannot be simply destroyed. It can be, as we've just seen, but they always reappear at some point. No one will know when the artifact reappears, it could be soon or in a hundred years. Once the artifact reappears, someone will be there to claim it. For now it is gone. Let's get back.

The soldiers who were standing by the entrance were killed by the undead. It wasn't a real surprise, but it was still sad to see them lying there. When they exited the temple, the sun began to rise.

* * *

After Siris and his unit came back to the camp, and after having his wounds taken care of, Siris went back to the rock where he and Aisha had met several times before.

Aisha was there as he predicted so he sat down by her and looked over the camp.

"Thanks for saving me... I guess," said Aisha."

"It's fine," Siris said back, "you would've done the same for me."

Aisha looked over at the camp, without turning towards Siris and said, "Siris, if I were to die, where do you think I would go... I mean... Where do you think think we go when we die?"

Siris looked over at the blue sky and the sands of the desert. He thought of his father, and thought of the power he had acquired from his father's note, and what it said. Siris responded,

"Sovngarde."

* * *

_To be continued_


End file.
